Football Operations Manager Stephanie Maiolo has been named the second nominee of the inaugural Dean Moore Award – a Sydney Swans staff equivalent of the team’s Best Clubman.
The news was announced by CEO Tom Harley at a staff meeting on July 30, shortly after Maiolo’s return from playing at the Touch World Cup. Now in her seventh year with the club, she says it’s the people who make her role special.
“I’m so grateful that I get to come to work every day and do a job that I love and that’s really the energy that I try to bring each day,” Maiolo told Sydney Swans Media.
“To be recognised for this prestigious award among such an amazing group of coworkers is quite extraordinary. There are so many others who would be deserving of the recognition.”
Maiolo kicked off her career with an internship at the club, before landing a full-time role as Match Day and Events Coordinator. In 2020, she moved to the AFL department where she developed her skills in football operations.
“It’s no secret that I really love my role here at the Swans. If I had to pinpoint what I love the most, it would definitely be the people that I get to work with every day,” she shared.
Dean Moore – whom the award is named after – served as the club’s team manager in the late 1970s and managed the logistics of South Melbourne’s move to Sydney in 1981.
After a stint with the then VFL, Moore returned to Sydney to replace Andrew Ireland as General Manager – Football at the end of the 2009 season.
“Dean Moore is a true inspiration to me and to be considered as representing and displaying some of the values that he upheld over his tenure here is a real privilege,” Maiolo added.
To be presented annually at the Sydney Swans’ AFLW Club Champion Dinner, the Dean Moore Award is a peer nominated award that will recognise a Sydney Swans staff member who has best embodied the club’s values of respect, discipline, courage, and conviction.
Maiolo follows Facilities Manager Mark White who was named the first nominee earlier this year.
“To be named as the Q2 Dean Moore Nominee is just incredible and makes me so proud to be a part of this wonderful club,” Maiolo said.
From our staff:
“Steph is such a great connector across the club. She always bounces into work with a smile on her face and a can-do attitude to help our club become better, and she has a positive impact on the individuals around her too. We are very lucky to have Steph as part of our Swans family.” – Leon Cameron, Executive General Manager Football – AFL
“What a great teammate. You love working alongside Stephanie. She always has a smile on her face, and she brings an infectious energy to the footy department. Nothing is too hard. She is selfless in the way she goes about her work. She is good for her word and always delivers. A lot of what Stephanie does is behind the scenes, she organises and takes care of the players to allow them to be at their best. She genuinely cares.” – Brett Kirk, Head of Player Wellbeing and Development
